The Holiday Classic Returns by Popular Demand:Tennessee Shakespeare Company presents

It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

Inside the Winegardner Auditorium at The DixonSponsored by FedEx Corporation

Memphis, TN (November 5, 2013) – – Tennessee Shakespeare Company, the Mid-South's professional classical theatre, returns last year's holiday hit It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play with a new look both on stage and in the audience to Dixon Gallery & Garden's Winegardner Auditorium from November 20 – December 8 in Memphis.

Adapted by Joe Landry from the famous Frank Capra holiday film featuring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary Hatch, It's a Wonderful Life comes to stage-life in this 1946 radio play employing the dialogue and characters from the film and played by a company of five actors.

Re-directed by TSC's Stephanie Shine (Southern Yuletide; Romeo and Juliet), the production is made possible by title sponsor FedEx Corporation.

The Dixon Gallery auditorium is transformed into a 1946 remote radio station bandstand, complete with period holiday decorations, commercial jingles, and hand-made sound effects. The live broadcast features the company of radio actors both on and off the air, but the central focus is on the live broadcast of this "new" radio play.

The production will feature a very different, fun scenic design, and the audience will sit on full risers (as they did during TSC's spring show of Hamlet) for perfect sight-lines and comfortable seating.

In the play that the actors read on-air, George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never did so in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that has prevented him is George's modest loan company, The Bailey Building & Loan, which was founded by his generous father.

But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage, George realizes that he will be held responsible, sent to jail, and the company will collapse -- finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking that his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, George contemplates suicide.

The prayers of Bedford Falls that night result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to Earth to help George. He shows George what Bedford Falls would be like if indeed he had never been born. What he sees is a Potter-controlled town sunken into depravation with all those George loves dead, ruined, or miserable. He realizes that he really has led a wonderful life – and the entire town honors and saves George that night in more ways than one.

"In the spirit of tradition, we welcome back several members from last year's cast," says Shine. "And much like a family gathered for a holiday that delights in recalling past memories and creating new ones, this family of actors will delve deeper into known roles while embracing all of the 1940s-era songs to delight audiences in the pre-broadcast entertainment."

In partnership with TSC, Memphis' public radio station WKNO-FM 91.1 will broadcast TSC's Thursday, November 21 performance live to all its listeners. Listen for the show at 7:00 pm (C.S.T.) that night.

Each member of the company of actors plays a radio personality who, in turn, plays multiple characters in It's a Wonderful Life. The returning Memphis cast includes Brad Kroeker as announcer Freddie Filmore, Mr. Potter, Mr. Gower, Ernie the taxi driver, and Martini; Jim Eikner as Harry "Jazzbo" Heywood, Clarence Oddbody, Uncle Billy, Harry Bailey, and Bert the cop; and Lorraine Cotten as Hope Merriwether, Zuzu, Violet, Rose Bailey, Mrs. Hatch, and Sadie Vance.

Returning from NYC is Trevor Pittinger as George Bailey, and from Washington, D.C., Amelia Fischer returns as Mary Hatch.

Bruce Bui, of Ballet Memphis, provides the period costume design in his fifth season with the company, and Jeremy Allen Fisher designs the lighting with Kristen Greene designing scenic and properties elements.

General Admission tickets are on sale now, Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm at TSC's office located at 2260 West Street in Germantown or by calling 901-759-0604, or by going on-line to www.tnshakespeare.org.

Tickets for all performances are $30. Tickets for the November 20 Preview performance are only $15.

Tickets for Opening Night on November 21 are $30 and include complimentary post-show dessert and champagne/sparkling cider toast with the actors and also participation in the live broadcast over WKNO-FM airwaves.

November 21, 28 (Thanksgiving), and December 5 are Free Will Kids' Nights: Children 17 years and younger are admitted FREE when accompanied by a paying/attending guardian.

All performances begin at 7:00 pm except for Sunday shows, which begin at 3:00 pm.

Public Performance Schedule at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens

November 20 at 7:00 pm Preview and Free Will Kids' Night and Live WKNO Radio Airdate

Ticket Information

Tickets are on sale now. The Preview performance is $15. All other performances are $30. Free Will Kids' Nights: Children 17 years and younger admitted FREE when accompanied by a paying/attending guardian. Seniors, college students, and Dixon members receive 20% off their tickets for all performances.

All performances are general admission; first come/first seated. Chairs are provided for all productions. Free parking. No refunds. Cast and schedule are subject to change.

Artist Bios

Bruce Bui (Costume Designer) is very excited to be a part of Tennessee Shakespeare's fifth anniversary season. He designed TSC's Unto the Breach, Shake(s), Rattle, & Roll, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Julius Caesar, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), It's a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play, Rebel Shakespeare and His Women, and Shakespeare's Greatest Hits. Originally from Southern California, Bruce now lives in Memphis and is going into his twelfth season as the Wardrobe Director and Resident Costume Designer for Ballet Memphis. His works can be seen regularly on the Orpheum stage and numerous other venues around the Mid-South, and have been praised as "dazzling" by Critical Dance Magazine, and a "Master of Chiffon" by The Commercial Appeal. He has also worked with The Western Stage (Always, Patsy Cline), Cabrillo Musical Theatre (Funny Girl), Santa Susanna Repertory Theatre (Shiloh, War of the World), and Kingsmen Shakespeare Company (As You Like It), among others. Some of his specialty garments can be seen on Mrs. Tennessee for Mrs. America 2005, At Home Tennessee Magazine's featured wedding issue 2007, and The Memphis Mystic Krew 2005 court. Bruce also has worked on several commercials in the Mid-South.

Lorraine Cotten (Lana Sherwood) returns to the Wonderful Life cast from last season. Most recently, she appeared in the ensemble Les Miserables at Playhouse on the Square. She was also seen as Claire Partridge in Left Hand Singing at Theatreworks and as Pauline in Dividing the Estate at Circuit. Before receiving her MFA in Theatre (Directing) at the U of M, she lived in New York and Los Angeles and was fortunate to work in such theatres as Perry Steet (Off Broadway), Tiffany Theatre (LA), the Barter Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the New Jersey Shakespeare Theatre, and Arkansas Rep, among others, as well as in film and television. Directing credits include: Big River at The Harrell, and The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast at ECS.

Jim Eikner (Harry "Jazzbo" Heywood) is a native Memphian and portrayed Norman Thayer, Jr. in the Germantown Community Theatre production of On Golden Pond. He has performed the title roles in Da and The Foreigner, as well as Ensign Pulver in Mister Roberts, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd, and is pleased to reprise from last year his role of Guardian Angel Clarence Oddbody with TSC. Jim has served as Marketing Manager for WKNO-TV and FM for over 26 years.

Jeremy Allen Fisher (Lighting Designer, Master Electrician) is the Resident Lighting Designer for Theatre Memphis and a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a BFA in Lighting Design. He has worked for Santa Fe Opera, Busch Gardens, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, and Northern Oklahoma College. Jeremy was recently nominated for an Ostrander Award for best lighting design, Chicago, the Musical at Theatre Memphis, and placed first runner-up for the National Barbizon Lighting Award (2011) for his lighting design of A Streetcar Named Desire. He would like to thank his fiancée, friends, family, mentors and colleagues.

Kristen Greene (Properties Designer) TSC designs and stage management work include The Tempest, The Glass Menagerie, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and It's a Wonderful Life. Kristen is currently the stage manager and production coordinator for Ballet Memphis. She has a BFA in stage management from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and she also studied at Shakespeare's Globe in London.

Amelia Fischer (Sally Applewhite) hails from Washington, DC, and returns to TSC for her third season. Audiences in Memphis have seen her in It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Shakespeare's Greatest Hits, Hamlet, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and The Tempest. Regional credits include: Hamlet, Othello, Comedy of Errors, and Taming of the Shrew with Houston Shakespeare Festival; As You Like It with Virginia Shakespeare Festival; Pericles and The Servant of Two Masters with Georgia Shakespeare. Amelia received her MFA from the University of Houston PATP, her BA from Coastal Carolina University, and to have trained with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance.

Brad Kroeker (Freddie Filmore) appeared in TSC's 2012 production of It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. He also recently appeared as guest grill chef on WKNO's "Local Color" and as John Christow in Agatha Christie's The Hollow. Other recent Memphis credits: Opera Memphis' Macbeth, and Frederick in A Little Night Music and El Gallo in The Fantasticks. Brad has been the fight choreographer with Opera Memphis and other theatrical productions (Ostrander winner for Rhodes College's Hamlet) and is the Memphis University School varsity fencing coach (2012 State Champions). A native Nebraskan and graduate of The University of Nebraska, Brad also has served on the faculty of The University of Memphis and Rhodes College.

Joe Landry (Playwright) At age 12, Joe's first job was in the film department at the library in his hometown of Fairfield, CT. This was before the dawn of home video, back in the days of 16mm, and their permanent collection included It's a Wonderful Life, The Lady Vanishes, and other early Hitchcock films. Joe's other main interest was the theatre. Encouraged by his parents, Joe was introduced to various theatres which he came to call home, including Playwrights Horizons and Roundabout Theatre Company in New York, Westport Country Playhouse, and others. In 1995, Joe founded Second Guess Theatre Company, which produced over two dozen new plays, adaptations, and revivals to critical-acclaim. In 1997, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play premiered in Stamford, CT, and has since enjoyed productions around the country. Joe's other plays include Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play and an adaptation of the cult classic Reefer Madness. Other projects include Mothers and Sons, a musical co-written with Kevin Connors and Lifeboat, Dahling! with Bert Bernardi.

Trevor Pittinger (Jake Laurents) comes from New York City and returns to TSC and It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play for a second season. Last year, he also appeared in Hamlet and Shakespeare's Greatest Hits. Regional credits include: Romeo and Juliet at Greenbrier Valley Theater, Much Ado About Nothing with Palo Duro Shakespeare, two years in HYPE at the Alley Theater, The Dispute with Theatre Collide, and two years in the outdoor drama TEXAS! Film credits include: Child of God (dir. James Franco). Trevor received his MFA in acting from the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance, his BA from Rice University, and trained at the O'Neill National Theater Institute.

Stephanie Shine+ (Director; General Manager and Education Director) TSC directorial work includes Shake(s), Rattle & Roll, It's a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play, Shakespeare's Greatest Hits, Southern Yuletide, Romeo and Juliet, and The Rebel Shakespeare and His Women. During her 18 years with Seattle Shakespeare Company, 13 as Artistic Director, she directed 17 productions, including The Threepenny Opera, Cyrano de Bergerac, and the lauded all-male Taming of the Shrew. A well-known actress in the Northwest, Stephanie has performed for Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, ACT, The Empty Space, Seattle Children's Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and Tacoma Actors Guild. Regionally, she appeared with the Oregon and New Jersey Shakespeare Festivals, Houston's Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, and NYC's Theatre for a New Audience. Her Shakespeare roles include Juliet, Rosalind, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice, Regan, Feste, Kate, Bianca, Dionyza, The Princess of France, Hero, Perdita, and The Chorus in Henry V.

+ Member of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.

Tickets are $30 adults; 20% discount for Seniors/Students and Dixon members; FREE for children 17 and younger when accompanied by a paying/attending guardian on Thursday nights.

Box Office is (901) 759-0604 and www.tnshakespeare.org

Description: Adapted by Joe Landry from the famous Frank Capra holiday film featuring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary Hatch, It's a Wonderful Life comes to stage-life in this 1946 radio play employing all the dialogue and characters from the film and played by a company of five actors with period jingles and radio sound effects. For the entire family.

Production Sponsor

FedEx Corporation

Sustaining Sponsors

ArtsMemphis, The Dunbar Abston Fund for Sustainable Excellence, Barbara B. Apperson and The Barbara Apperson Angel Fund, Nancy and Dan Copp, Independent Bank, International Paper, Jack and Sandra Jones, Milton T. Schaeffer, Shakespeare for a New Generation: a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, Dr. and Mrs. Owen B. Tabor and their family, Ann and Wellford Tabor, Target, Tennessee Arts Commission

News

We have Purchased the Former Ballet Memphis Property to Create the State’s First Permanent, Year-Round Home for Professional Shakespeare Performance, Education, and Training in Memphis

(August 31) -- Tennessee Shakespeare Company today announced it has purchased the former facility and property of Ballet Memphis located at 7950 Trinity Road in Memphis as its first, permanent home.

The announcement was made by Dan McCleary, the company’s founder and Producing Artistic Director; Owen B. Tabor, the company’s Board President for the past six years; and E. Frank Bluestein, the company’s founding Executive Director.

With this acquisition, Tennessee Shakespeare Company is preparing to create the first and only permanent, year-round home for professional Shakespeare performance, education, and training in the state of Tennessee.

TSC purchased the 18,484 square foot facility outright from Ballet Memphis for $1,900,000. There is no mortgage.

TSC, now beginning its tenth anniversary season, expects to begin interior renovation this year and be completed in Spring 2018.

The renovation will focus on modifying existing dance studios into a state-of-the-art, professional, flexible theatre for seating up to 200 patrons, as well as a spacious Education Wing. The public lobby, restrooms, and support areas for the theatre also will be modified.

Centrally located to all of Shelby County just north of Walnut Grove Road, between Germantown Road and the northeast corner of Shelby Farms Park, the unique glass-and-steel facility will house all of TSC’s operations under one roof: performances, training, education, administrative offices, storage, costume shop, scene shop, and commercial kitchen. The facility was constructed in 1998, and an addition was built in 2012. It affords parking for nearly 70 cars.

TSC and Ballet Memphis, longtime arts colleagues whose artistic staffs have collaborated over the years, entered into a Purchase & Sale Agreement in late June. The sale represents one Memphis not-for-profit arts organization selling to another for re-use of a special purpose building. TSC’s agent was W. Cary Whitehead III of Boyle Investment Company.

For the last nine years, TSC has created site-specific/environmental Shakespeare and classical productions, both indoors and outside, throughout Shelby County, partnering with long-time friends Dixon Gallery & Gardens, the University of Memphis, St. George’s Church, Shelby Farms Park, Germantown City Hall, Poplar Pike Playhouse, Hutchison School, and Germantown Performing Arts Center.

“This is an important moment in Memphis performing arts,” said Dr. Tabor. “We have researched more than 50 sites in the last few years, and the former Ballet property is perfect for our needs and for what our audiences say they would like. The Ballet’s new home in Overton Square is so impressive, and they have been wonderful to work with during this transaction. We wish them tremendous success. We appreciate that this special building is the launch pad for exciting futures for two important arts groups in Memphis.

Announcing a New, Multi-Year Partnership with the Germantown Municipal School District for Cutting-Edge Classical Curriculum for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students

Tennessee Shakespeare Company and the Germantown Municipal School District today announced a unique, multi-year education partnership that will bring immersive, cutting-edge Shakespeare curriculum to life for every student in grades five, seven, and nine.

Starting with this school year, all GMSD fifth and seventh grade students will participate in an introductory, immersive playshop to prepare and excite them for experiencing a full, live performance of TSC’s self-created production of Shakes, Rattle, and Roll. The show pays tribute to our hometown heritage, creatively linking the signature music of Memphis to the works of Shakespeare that could have inspired them.

All ninth grade students will be treated to TSC’s nationally-acclaimed Romeo and Juliet Project, a four-part interactive residency that concludes with an intimate and riveting live performance of Romeo and Juliet.

The Project, originally launched at Germantown High School seven years ago and now operating in many Shelby County Schools, transforms classrooms into playing spaces to change students' expectations and reception of the material. The residency begins with three sessions that engage the students in playing three different parts of the play. The positive impact on the students’ grades, compassion level, engagement in continued exploration of classical texts, and their rehearsed ability to walk away from potentially life-threatening situations in their own lives has proven quantifiable and remarkable in the scores of schools in which TSC has taught over the past eight years.

New, Exciting TSC Partnerships with Company d and the Memphis VA, and Expanding Programs with Jail East and Hope Academy

“TSC gives them models to express their feelings, which they probably have never done. For maybe the first time in their lives, they think about the world around them and their role in the community.”

- Joyce Anderson, Juvenile Manager, Shelby County Sheriff's Office

Hope Academy residency participants

We are thrilled to announce new partnerships between TSC and Company d and the Memphis Veterans Administration Medical Association. Also this month (August), we are happily expanding our Shakespeare programs for adjudicated youth at both Jail East and Hope Academy.

TSC is spending August in residence with Company d. Nationally recognized, Company d is a dance company of young adults with Down syndrome under the artistic direction of choreographer Darlene Winters. Founded in 2001, Company d is committed to inspire, empower, and teach individuals with Down syndrome who have an inherent aptitude for the performing arts.

TSC Education Manager Carmen-maria Mandley and TSC Education artists guide participants through the tumultuous world of Romeo and Juliet. Using movement and text, the dancers are immersed in Shakespeare's images and encouraged to discover their personal connection with the characters of the play.

"Company d dancers are having a dynamic experience with TSC this week,” says Winters, Company d founder and Artistic Director. “The play and its language are being brought to life with interactive methods. The partnership with Tennessee Shakespeare Company is the first partnership with a theatre company in this region. I am so excited about this new and unique experience for individuals with Down syndrome, which will enrich artistic growth and expand cultural literacy skills."

Also in August, TSC begins working with veterans at the Memphis VA Medical Association. This program brings together service veterans with theatre practitioners to use the plays of Shakespeare in addressing combat-related traumatic and re-integration issues. The model, created by the Feast of Crispian Project in Milwaukee, WI, was created to strengthen the personal psychological resources available to service veterans - especially those with post-deployment health issues - through the practice and skills of theatre combined with the timeless themes and imagistic language of Shakespeare.

Tennessee Shakespeare Companypresents its first Mainstage production of madcapThe Comedy of Errors

Tennessee Shakespeare Company, in partnership with the University of Memphis’ Department of Theatre & Dance, presents William Shakespeare’s madcap, joyous The Comedy of Errors on the U of M’s Theatre Mainstage from June 8-18.

Featuring a professional cast of actor-musicians and directed by Shakespeare & Company co-founder Tony Simotes, the production sets Shakespeare’s shortest, wildest play in the exotic and dangerous Greece of 1600.

The story features two sets of identical twins, who, along with their parents, were separated shortly after birth on the high seas. Now, more than 20 years later, Antipholus (the master) and Dromio (his servant) come to a new land that is hostile to foreigners. Little do they know, their father, chasing after them, is imprisoned and faces execution at sunset for crossing the border unless he can find someone to pay his bail. And little do they know, their identical twin brothers live here! It makes for the funniest, most bizarre day in the country until a final familial revelation changes everyone’s lives forever.

Returning to TSC as the Antipholus twins are Joey Shaw (Romeo; King in All’s Well That Ends Well; Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Colton Swibold (title role in Henry V last year). Returning as the clowning Dromio servants are Nic Picou and Blake Currie (both from Henry V).

Making her TSC debut as Antipholus’ wife Adrianna is U of M alum Claire Hayner, and returning to play her sister Luciana is Rachel Brun (Juliet; Lady Anne in Richard III; Antonio in Twelfth Night; Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

Save the Date for Our 10th Anniversary Gala

We are saving a table for YOU to join us for our 10th Anniversary Season Gala! Mark your calendar now for Saturday, April 7, 2018, when we bring you a celebratory evening of performance and dinner in the beautiful ballroom of the Memphis Hilton.